Ottawa to Increase Cigarette Pack Warning Labels

Anti-smoking message will cover 3/4 of cigarette packages, feature iconic cancer victim.

January 04, 2011

OTTAWA - Canada's Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced last week that new anti-smoking warnings on cigarette packages would feature images of a cancer victim and cover three-quarters of the packages' surface, the Vancouver Sun reports.

The announcement was timed to encourage smokers to make a New Year's resolution to stop smoking. Changes to the warnings on cigarette packs have been strongly supported by anti-smoking activists.

"Size is extremely important to the effectiveness [of the ads]," said Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society. "The larger the size, the greater the impact."

The warning will include a photo of Barb Tarbox, a former Edmonton model who died of brain and lung cancer in 2003 and who, prior to her death, worked as an anti-smoking advocate.

Health Canada spent roughly $3.6 million conducting surveys on the subject, and concluded that the old graphic warnings were becoming less effective and that larger images were needed.

Mandatory warnings that cover 50 percent of the surface of cigarette packs sold in Canada have been in place since 2001.

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